5 Essential Tips to Foster Creativity at Workplace

Organisations today operate in a very competitive, global environment which makes creativity very important. It is the fuel that keeps the organisation going with newer ideas, challenges employees’ ways of thinking and opens new doors for bigger opportunities. Creativity in a business is vital and should be prioritised by seniors. Experts state that creativity is the number one factor for the success of any business above vision, integrity, and management discipline. More and more companies are realising the benefits of creativity and innovation training for their employees. Apart from the training, organisations need to take few measures and initiatives to foster creative culture within the organisation. Here’s a look:

1. Reward creativity

Not every creative idea would be successful but for big breakthroughs, the companies need to take risk. Executives must be comfortable with failures and give their subordinates the flexibility and freedom to experiment and explore various opportunities. Companies should make it a point to reward any employee that comes with a creative idea. Rewarding your employee is a way of showing your appreciation and inspiring them to pursue new concepts and theories. Employees will appreciate how much you value their creativity.

2. Hiring the right people

The right people aren’t just creative individuals. Organisations should make it a point to hire diverse people with different personalities. It helps in bringing in different viewpoints, cultural background, and skill sets. While it is true that not everyone is creative, most of them can learn the tools or techniques to be innovative. It certainly helps them in looking at things from a different angle.

3. Trying the ‘Yes, and..’ approach

No one likes to take no for an answer. And, taking ‘no’ off the table ensures that all ideas are heard. It is one of the best ideas for spurring creative brainstorming. The approach encourages the colleagues to build off their peers thoughts by first agreeing and then adding something to the discussion.

4. Flexible work hours

Not everyone is suited for the traditional 9 to 5 schedule. It has been observed that offering flexible working arrangements such as ability to work from home helps the employees in being healthier, happier, and productive. As far as the employees meet the deadlines and offer quality work, the strategy is a good way to enable the employees to work at a time when they feel most creative as opposed to a specific time of the day.

5. Giving employees time to recharge

The companies need to take burnout into consideration. They should take some time between projects or offer sabbaticals to let their employees recharge.

Thus, no company should ignore the creative aspect as it can lend unique solutions.

Explore the web for more information and suggestions on choosing the best creativity and innovation workshop for your organisation.

Tan Swie Hian provides creativity and innovation workshop sessions to individuals, groups, and organisations in the public and private sectors. He has 15 years of experience teaching, training, and consulting.